The art is replete with descriptions of footrests and similar devices. Illustrative examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 269,780; 815,046; 1,217,246; 2,248,369; 2,850,081; 2,912,046; 3,121,551; 3,271,075; 3,653,715; 4,296,694; 4,310,193; 4,901,385; 5,294,180; 5,316,374; and 5,348,377; British patent documents 961,286 and 2,153,217; Swiss patent documents 386,640 and 675,347; German patent document 1,193,215; and Misco Fall 1993 Computer Products Catalog, page 125.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/142,582, filed Oct. 25, 1993, describes a footrest for use by a person working at a desk that has a base supporting above the floor a platform with a foot support surface for a user's feet. The platform is mounted on the base so that the height of the platform above the floor and the angle at which the foot support surface is disposed with respect to the floor are independently adjustable. Generally, the footrest described in that application included (1) the base that included means for defining a supported surface adapted to be supported on a floor, and spaced support portions projecting generally at fight angles away from that supported surface; (2) the platform that included a foot support portion having the foot support surface, and a pair of spaced supported portions projecting from the side of the foot support portion opposite the foot support surface; (3) a pair of intermediate support members; (4) pivotable means mounting a part of each of the supported portions of the platform on a part of a different one of the intermediate support members adjacent a first edge for pivotal movement of the platform around an axis parallel with the supported surface; and (5) adjustable means mounting a portion of each of the intermediate support members adjacent an opposite second edge thereof in fixed relationship on a different one of the spaced support portions of the base and affording adjustment of both of the attached portions between a first relative position with the axis spaced a first distance from the supported surface, and a second relative position with the axis spaced a second position from the supported surface.
In that footrest, however, the adjustable means was provided by rows of apertures in the intermediate support members and in the support portions, different pairs of which apertures could be aligned to position the axis about which platform pivots at different distances from the supported surface on the base, after which fasteners could be inserted through aligned pairs of apertures and tightened to secure the intermediate support members to the base at the desired positions. Changing the distance between the axis and the supported surface required removal of the fasteners from the apertures and their subsequent replacement, which was time consuming and risked the loss of parts of the fasteners.
Also in that footrest the angular relationship between the foot rest surface and the supported surface on the base was selected from several predetermined angular relationships that also required the use of fasteners generally in the manner described above and might not include the angular relationship that a specific user desired.